Seven Arrests in Madrid for Francis Bacon Theft Worth €25 Million

Spanish police have arrested seven suspects in Madrid for the 2015 theft of five Francis Bacon paintings and other objects valued at nearly €25 million from a private residence. The robbery occurred in July 2015 but was only made public in March 2016. The owner, a Madrid resident and old friend of Bacon, had inherited the works from the artist. The suspects disabled the alarm system to enter the apartment. The identities of those arrested remain undisclosed, and the artworks have not yet been recovered, though they are considered difficult to sell. The article also notes that art theft is a significant issue in Italy, with the Assiv Observatory estimating 600 art thefts per year. In 2015, there were over 1.5 million thefts overall, about 250,000 from private homes, especially in summer. Of the 600 reported art or archaeological thefts, 40% were from private collections, 44% from peripheral churches, with the highest rates in Lazio and Lombardy (13.5-12.8%), Campania and Tuscany (9%), and Emilia Romagna (7.8%). Rome province had the highest rate at 10.6%.